The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the service-connected lumbar spine DDD, status postoperative, is dismissed.,The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to July 9, 2019 and in excess of 20 percent from July 9, 2019 for lumbar spine DDD are both denied.
The deciding factor: The claim for an earlier effective date is dismissed as a matter of law because the Veteran's disagreement does not meet legal requirements.,The evidence does not show that the Veteran’s lumbar spine disability warrants a rating in excess of 10 percent prior to July 9, 2019 or in excess of 20 percent from July 9, 2019.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine DDD (degenerative disc disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20026373
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20026373.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine DDD, tinnitus, eczema, and left-hand arthritis, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since June 29, 2021.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability and a need for a new VA examination for PTSD. The issues of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine IVDS and DDD, and entitlement to a higher rating for PTSD are pending.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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